The Ultra-III - Where Tradition Meets TechnologyWe all know that deep down, most guitarists love the classic designs and shapes. That's why Epiphone designed the new Les Paul Ultra-III with the same look and features of a traditional Les Paul but added new technology giving you a guitar that's a real Les Paul but also so much more!

Two Great Pickup Systems in One GuitarAt the heart of the new Ultra-III are two pickup systems. Powering the first are Epiphone's new ProBucker humbucking pickups patterned after Gibson's famous BurstBuckers. With authentic 18% nickel silver base and cover, Elektrisola wire, accurate bobbins, slugs and screws and sand casted Alnico-II magnets, they replicate that classic "Patent Applied For" airy tone that defined rock and roll. The second system features Shadow(tm) Germany's patented NanoMag pickup embedded discretely at the end of the fingerboard. Featuring three samarium cobalt magnets, an air coil, and active electronics, this low-impedance pickup captures all the subtle body acoustics and string harmonics. Together, you get powerful humbucker-driven rock crunch as well as shimmering acoustic-like tones and everything in-between.

One-Of-A-Kind Electrics Built-inIf you thought the Ultra-II was jam-packed with modern features, you won't believe what Epiphone has designed into the Ultra-III. Built discretely into the bridge pickup mounting ring is a full-function, chromatic tuner. Push it's ON/OFF button and sound is immediately muted when the tuner activated. Eleven color-coded LED's identify the note as well as whether it's sharp, flat or in-tune. Also, to allow quick and seamless changes between each pickup system, the Ultra-III's NanoMag Volume knob now doubles as an A/B switch. Just push it in and quickly toggle between Magnetic, NanoMag or both pickup systems with no delay and no "pop." Two additional LED's on the pickup mounting ring provide a visual indicator of which pickup system is active (Red=NanoMag; Blue-Magnetic or Red/Blue=Both).

Hook-Up Directly To Your ComputerThe Ultra-III features three different outputs. By using the standard 1/4" MONO output, both the Humbuckers and NanoMag are mixed into one signal. When you plug another 1/4" cable into it's STEREO output, the Humbuckers are routed through one cable and the NanaMag the other. In this way, you can send the Humbuckers to your favorite guitar amp and the NanoMag to the PA or an acoustic guitar amp. Using the A/B switch, you can now change "on-the-fly" between the two outputs. The third output is USB. Using a USB cable (included), you can plug directly into your computer and use guitar applications such as Native Instruments GuitarRig 4LE download to play your guitar through a variety of simulated amplifiers and effects and listen through your computer speakers or headphones. GuitarRig also features a recorder, a metronome, a tuner and more.

Great Tone Woods and HardwareWhile the Ultra-III is packed with technology, it still maintains the same basic specifications that made Epiphone Les Pauls the choice of so many guitarists including a solid Mahogany body with glued-in Mahogany neck and comfortable SlimTaper neck profile, a flame Maple veneer top and Rosewood fingerboard. The result is a modern guitar with that classic Les Paul tone and sustain. Like most Epiphone's, it's also equipped with Epi's patent-applied-for LockTone locking tune-o-matic bridge and stopbar tailpiece for increased sustain and string changing ease as well as quality Grover 16:1 machine heads for tuning accuracy and stability.

Limited Lifetime WarrantyLike every Epiphone, it features their Limited Lifetime warranty backed by world famous 24/7/365 day Gibson Customer Service. If you want a versatile professional instrument designed for live performance or studio and capable of both Les Paul crunch and real acoustic-like tones, the Epiphone Ultra-III is it! Case sold separately.

I purchased my first one at another store. The Vintage Sunburst finish was beautiful, the action was a little high, but the neck felt nice and I expected a little fret buzz from...Read complete review

I purchased my first one at another store. The Vintage Sunburst finish was beautiful, the action was a little high, but the neck felt nice and I expected a little fret buzz from the reviews. The buzz got worse and I brought it back and after a week of trying, the luthier admitted defeat. I loved the NanoMag and the USB port and I decided it must have been a bad run. Decided to give MF a try, although a great store, I am not a big fan of the delivery folks. It arrived well packed and none the worse from its journey. The AAA Vintage Sunburst Maple top is REALLY beautiful. This one arrived setup perfectly for my tastes. It only needed tuning and there is NO fret buzz what so ever. First, the NanoMag through an acoustic amp, I'm using a Kustom Siena 30, sings although you may want to lower the treble on the back of the guitar. The three Nanomag control are VERY variable. Second, the Probuckers sound very good and even better played along with the Nanomag. The push/push switch does have a slight delay when switching between pick-ups but is not terribly annoying. My MAC recognized it immediately in Garage Band though there is some high pitch whine bleeding over into my Fender Blues Jr. when connected to the USB cable and I am using the one provided (USB with Ferrites attached) by Epiphone.After 1 month I am very pleased with this guitar. The 60's satin finished neck plays wonderfully, it kind of feels like my '74 L6-S, my very favorite. This Epi has taken over as my second favorite betting out my '98 California Strat. It feels solid, lighter than a Gibson Standard LS thanks to the chambered and contoured body, it is also comfortable to play for extended periods of time. On a one to ten I would give it a nine. For the price I don't think you can get better value for the money. Oh, I have been playing guitar for over 40 years and I have owned many guitars and although I never buy one with the intent of selling it later I have, for whatever reason. This one is definitely a keeper.

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Sent the first one back, hum noise with it. 2nd one took forever to receive and the usb is not working the sound is great but it needs a separate switch for the nano...Read complete review

Sent the first one back, hum noise with it. 2nd one took forever to receive and the usb is not working the sound is great but it needs a separate switch for the nano than the three way switch..

Had to return it had some damage I believe it was from the shipping all in all the guitar arrived ok The tuner did not mute other than that the acoustic and electric switching back-and-forth that's awesome All in one for a level 2 guitar ....Peace

My specific experience may have been the result of great demand and limited supply. When I received my guitar it looked beautiful (sapphire). Okay, A+ on aesthetics. But the strings SERIOUSLY buzzed off the frets. While the amplified sound was good, the fret buzz was most annoying. I changed the strings to 10s,and that helped some; however, I had to get a professional setup. The frets will eventually need to be leveled to completely eliminate the buzz, which is now barely noticeable. What this tells me is that in its effort to meet the Christmas demand Epiphone rushed through its supply making a less quality guitar. I have seen other Ultra IIIs,and they were great. Mine is fantastic now after the professional setup. Great tone and sound with variability with the added nanomag pickup. When I get the frets leveled, something Epiphone should have done itself, my Ultra III will be great.

I have played acoustic guitar all my 68 years, rhythm and finger style. This is my first electric, and I love it. I wanted a rich jazz sound, good tone, good sustain, and a beautiful, classy instrument. This is it. It is a pleasure to hold and to play. Affordable class and quality. I have zero regrets or complaints.

This is the best sounding guitar I own. Probuckers can create tones for everything from blues and country to blazing metal. The chambered body makes the guitar very light. Nearly as light as my Ibanez s series guitar. the Nanomag acoustic pick creates rich tones and turns this guitar into a home recording powerhouse. fit and finish on guitar should be better for the price but it's not terrible. Mostly it's minor flaws in the fit that I noticed and were relatively easy to fix or not important enough to be bothersome. I did have some significant fret buzz when I first played it but it went away with a slight truss rod adjustment and raising the action a bit. I do find having to mess with the guitar's set up just out of the box annoying but not a huge deal. I have to say My Schecter C-7 Hellraiser I purchased came out of the box with a perfect action and intonation and even in tune. I would expect to only have to do a minor tuning for a guitar in this price range. Overall the pros steamroll right over the cons and I would highly recommend this guitar to anyone.

I always wanted a Les Paul, but I can't afford a Gibson. I was sold on the features of this guitar.

I also don't have a great amp and loved that I could plug it into my PC and play... sounds good through the included Guitar Rig. My only complaint is that it was a hassle trying to figure out how to install it and get it running. If you plan to use this feature plan on spending 30 minutes or more trying to figure it out!

The action was a little high for my tastes and the neck was bowed on arrival... was an easy fix at the local shop though and now it plays great - and I have none of the fret buzz others have complained about.

I went into my local shop and played it through a Marshal DSL40C combo amp, and man this thing can sing. Can't wait to get my hands on a great amp now that I have this wodnerful guitar.

My purchase was a condition 2 guitar. It was very well packed & arrived in excellent shape. I had to look really close to find the very small frogs hair width scratch on the back of the body that had saved me a great deal of money. Great craftsmanship throughout the guitar. Upon first checkout there was a very slight fret buzz but once I got rid of the light gauge strings that were on it when it arrived & switch to the 10-46's that I use it disappeared completely. I'm sure a truss rod adjustment would have been in order to keep the light gauge on it.The tonal quality is fantastic. I run the ProBucker Mags through a Peavey Supreme half stack & the Shadow Nano Mag through my Marshall MG-100 DFX which in turn is jacked into my P.A. system for a second tweak of the Shadow. I can create a very broad range wall of sound clean w/clean & clean w/dirty with everything in between. It's like having 3 part guitar harmony with just a slight push of a button! I've own to many guitars of various brands & models over a period of the 45 years I've been playing music to even remember them all, some costing more than I wish to remember. I've never been completely satisfied with any one guitar until now. The action is great. The feel of it outstanding. The music I can create with it makes my spirit soar! "Let there be Rock!" Yes I would recommend this guitar & have to several friends already LOL.

Had this guitar for just about a year. plug it into my Randal V-2 and Acoustic amp for a double guitar sound, lot of people see 2 cords plugged into it and ask if it is a custom guitar. We are a performing band every weekend and the ultra 3 has been flawless. nothing like distortion and accoustic sound, sounds like 2 guitars playing. highly recomend to those who perform weekly. I get a lot of compliments !

It's a great guitar but I have to say that this is my first big purchase from Musician's Friend and I am extremely satisfied with the quality of service I got. I got my guitar about 2 weeks ago. The back plastic plate for the battery compartment was brokern on one of the hinges. All I asked for was a replacement for the part. Instead, they sent me another brand new guitar. Wow! That's service!! I'm buying all my gear from here now.

This guitar is every bit as good as it's Gibson counterparts at a fraction of the price. Fast neck, out of the box good action, nanopickups for extra tone ootions, and more. I haven't used the USB options very much, but they seem to mimic the same kind of effects you'd get with a Line 6 amplifier (with respect to digital effects). I'm having a blast with this guitar even without all the bells and whistles.

Buying a Condition 2 guitar, is a good value. I had to look fairly hard to find what I think is the 'gently used' condition. To get a guitar like this and is comparible in condition with 'new off the rack' is the way to go.

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